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Love is in the Air... Or is that "Billy" I smell?

The Dog Days of Summer.

Ahhh Yes.. It IS that time of year.. once again. Some of us look forward to it all year and some of us dread it.

Anyway you see it, it IS going to happen. The days get shorter and the night time temperatures start to drop and this signals all of our little darlings .. "it's time to think about making babies".

For those who have no bucks, this presents less in the way of extra work. You still need to get your does in tip top shape, plan your breeding dates to correspond around shows, activities, vacations and /or weather conditions for kidding. You also need to plan and reserve your buck services.

Success of breeding depends greatly on the conditions of both the doe and the buck.

General Preparation for Breeding Goats:

Much of the early preparation you can do during the summer. Depending on what breed/breeds you are raising, can have an effect on when you should breed for optimum results. Your geographical location will also be a determining factor, as different climates will certainly affect when you want to breed for the desired timing of putting kids on the ground. If you raise dairy goats, you will also want to consider planning for a continuous supply of milk and possible show dates. If fiber goats, you will want to plan on shearing dates and show times.. etc. Schedule your breeding dates for a 145-155 day gestation period - Which is approximately 5 months.

Doe Preparation:

Prepare your does for the upcoming breeding, 5 month gestation and successful kidding by getting them into tip-top health before you breed. Optimum conditions for a breeding doe is one of good physical condition - not under weight nor overweight. Deworm the does at the end of August and again the second week of September. Trim all hooves as this is a very active time for everyone. Shear the fiber breeds. Make sure they all have plenty of good quality hay. Now is a good time to begin slowly offering them daily grain if they have not been on it all summer. Make sure to have minerals and salt available to them free choice.

A doe in good physical condition will not only provide a better atmosphere for growing healthy fetuses, but will produce more ova and therefore produce more kids per doe. Multiple births produces more milk. More milk provides kids with enough nutrition for growing healthy and if a dairy goat, will be a higher milk producer for your family consumption. Shiny coats, bright eyes and an energetic doe is just right for breeding. She should be putting on weight before and continue for a few weeks after successful breeding.